Sleep apnea affects millions of Americans according to the National Institutes of Health. There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common. The root cause of all three is the interruption of breathing during sleep, which occurs repeatedly, sometimes hundreds of times during the night.
A common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (herein referred to as “CPAP”). CPAP works through the use of a respirator device by blowing pressurized room air through the airway at a pressure high enough to keep the throat open. The pressure level is set according to the patient's needs. While CPAP is the most effective method currently for treating obstructive sleep apnea according to the American Sleep Apnea Association, there are many challenges and considerations involved in selection and use of the current CPAP interface devices. These include, by way of example, problems with the fit and comfort of the patient interface to the CPAP system. Such prior art interfaces are, in general, limited in adjustability or bulky and complicated. For example, many interfaces require head straps, which can be awkward, create patient anxiety, and otherwise interfere with patient comfort.
In treating sleep apnea and snoring with or without a CPAP system, a well known practice is to provide a means to maintain the lower jaw or mandible in an anterior, protruded position relative to the upper arch or maxilla. This is typically achieved through the use of a dental device of some sort. In designing such dental devices, one must consider the fact that both teeth and dental arches vary significantly across the patient population in terms of size and spacing. Furthermore, most people have some degree of malocclusion, which is defined herein as a misalignment of the teeth, or the incorrect relation between the teeth of the two dental arches, or a combination thereof.
Accordingly, adjustability for a wide range of malocclusion is advantageous as a feature of a dental device for treating sleep apnea and snoring. So too is a means to provide a comfortable resting place for the tongue which retains the tongue in a proper position to promote an open airway while remaining comfortable for several hours while sleeping.